Something Special

Iris Murdoch was born in Dublin in 1919. She read Classics at Somerville College, Oxford, and after working in the Treasury and abroad, was awarded a research studentship in Philosophy at Newnham College, Cambridge. In 1948 she returned to Oxford as fellow and tutor at St Anne's College and later taught at the Royal College of Art. Until her death in 1999, she lived in Oxford with her husband, the academic and critic, John Bayley. She was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1987 and in the 1997 PEN Awards received the Gold Pen for Distinguished Service to Literature.

"Iris Murdoch is among the most gifted descriptive and narrative writers in English - and certainly one of the most entertaining." New York Review of Books "A power of intellect quite exceptional in a novelist." Sunday Times "She is incapable of writing without fascinating and beautiful colour." The Times "A delight for Murdoch enthusiasts." The Guardian